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Yet: It is confusing what he is talking about - especially since he never added the link he was referring to. It sounds like a couple in Eastwood rented two apartments from hr - that is, Hudson-Related, at Southtown, and re-rented space in them on an ongoing basis through aribnb, thus making $60,000 per year on each apartment.

He says the community will disappear because folks are using airbnb to rent out space, but why haven't many other communities disappeared although they contain hotels? Why are guests staying at apartments via airbnb different from guests staying at hotels?

Actually, they aren't any different, and I don't think communities die out because of the presence of guests staying at either hotels or airbnb accommodations.

I think the opposition to airbnb stems from that of the established hotels, who do not want to have any competition, wish to keep room prices high. It's in their interest to suppress airbnb.

As far as security risks - yes, I agree there are security risks in renting out both hotel rooms and airbnb space. I don't see the risk as more or less in either case although residential apartment buildings many times do not have a door staff whereas hotels most always have some security in addition to the desk staff and additional employees. There is also a vetting/investigative process that the landlord performs in considering applicants for apartments - which is mostly absent in renting space to airbnb or hotel guests.

If the tenancy at any particular building is unhappy with the situation of units being used for airbnb accommodations, then it is possible the landlord could add a restrictive clause to leases forbidding the use of units as airbnb accommodations; although the clause might be difficult to enforce nonetheless it would act as a deterrent.

However, by and large, as long as renting sofa space is not abused, so that it really becomes a "business" rather than rented out occasionally, because it is beneficial for the traveler and the apartment-dweller, I don't see it going away.

I always get such a kick out of the hatred for anything new. New ownership, new tenants, new generation, new ethnicity of "passersby"... When did "the old generation" forget they wre still part of New York City?

If you are referring to the airbnb guests, or even visitors to RI who may be staying at actual hotels in NYC/Manhattan, if you or I visit other cities we are also "disconnected" from the communities we visit. If I am not mistaken more than a million guests visit NYC each year and probably tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers also travel on business or vacation each year. I don't see hotel or airbnb guests as adding or detracting from communities. I do see the hotel industry as an important one in NYC, and as I said elsewhere, I don't think the rise of airbnb accommodations is going to seriously subtract from the hotel business, despite what the hotel business would have you think.

I have read the entire series. I have to admit, I do not like the tourists using roosevelt landings as their hotel. I am quite certain that many of you live in Island House, Westview and perhaps you are lucky enough not to have to take the next elevator because the one that came is full of tourists and their luggage. And this is one of the small problems.

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Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.

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